Battle of Taik Kyi

The Battle of Taik Kyi occurred on 25 March 1945 when the British Army launched an armored offensive against the Imperial Japanese Army near the city of Yangon (Rangoon) in British Burma. The Japanese mounted a brave defense, using tank destroyers to destroy several British armored vehicles, but the third British wave was stronger than expected, and the Japanese were overwhelmed.

Battle
In early 1945, the British Fourteenth Army under General William Slim mounted an armored offensive against the Japanese Burma Area Army of General Heitaro Kimura near the capital of Yangon, hoping to liberate the city and drive the Japanese into Thailand. The armored assault employed both British and American tanks, and the attack was massive. However, the British planned to attack in eight waves, leading to the Japanese having the advantage. The Japanese were dug in, building defensive mounds to shield their tank destroyers and fortifying positions along the jungle's dirt roads and railroad. Two waves of British armor were massacred, with the British on the left flank being held back by an accidental barricade of burnt-out British armored vehicles. However, the third wave was stronger than expected, with tanks pouring down from the north. The Japanese tanks were eventually overwhelmed, and the British managed to capture the Japanese strongpoint. This forced the Japanese to withdraw, although they had suffered fewer casualties. The British succeeded in capturing Taik Kyi, and they would launch Operation Dragoon to take Yangon.